Four successful elderly gentlemen, members of the Chowder Society, share a gruesome, 50-year-old secret. When one of Edward Wanderley's twin sons dies in a bizarre accident, the group begins to see a pattern of frightening events developing.
Acting
Four Hollywood titans giving their final, haunting performances.
Cinematography
New England winter as character—bleak, beautiful, unforgiving.
Writing
Peter Straub adaptation that trusts dread over exposition.
Director
John Irvin
Fred Astaire
Ricky Hawthorne
Melvyn Douglas
Dr. John Jaffrey
Douglas Fairbanks Jr.
Edward Charles Wanderley
John Houseman
Sears James
Craig Wasson
Don Wanderley / David Wanderley
Patricia Neal
Stella Hawthorne
Alice Krige
Eva Galli / Alma Mobley
Jacqueline Brookes
Milly
Miguel Fernandes
Gregory Bates
Mark Chamberlin
Young John Jaffrey
Tim Choate
Young Ricky Hawthorne
Ken Olin
Young Sears James
Brad Sullivan
Sheriff Hardesty
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
This was the final film for both Fred Astaire and Melvyn Douglas; Douglas died before its release. The four leads' combined careers spanned nearly 200 years.
Released at the dawn of the slasher era, this old-fashioned ghost story bombed commercially—only to be rediscovered as a elegy for Hollywood's golden age itself.
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